Clean Kill
by pathconf
Summary: Mostly Damon/Caroline story. Based on preview from episode 2x02, spoiler alert for 2x01. Hopefully first chapter of many. The title might be misleading as of now.
1. Welcome to Eternity

_Damon/Caroline story. Based on preview from episode 2x02, spoiler alert for 2x01._  
_Most of it is from Caroline's point of view._

_This is my first fiction ever and in a language, that's not my native. Constructive criticism is always welcomed._  
_But, please review if you want me to continue, even if you have to write just "I liked it."_  
_I also suppose that this story will be rendered AU by the time 2x02 is out, but I don't want Caroline to die nor Damon turn he's back on her._

_Also characters are not mine and I'm not making any profit from this._

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Caroline was standing in a hallway in front of a large door. She didn't even know what she was doing here, she just knew she had to get away from all those people and most importantly from Damon. The place looked deserted and should have been at that hour. It was school after all.

Just when she was about to step forward and open that door she got the uneasy feeling, she was not alone. She could feel her blood run cold and despite the lack of any noise whatsoever she knew he was standing right behind her, even though she couldn't quite explain why. In one swift motion Caroline turned and pushed him as hard as she could sending him flying at least fifteen feet away. He clearly didn't expect that, but she knew it was not gonna stop him. The only obvious escape route was the door behind her, but the last thing she needed was to turn her back to him. Backing way she decided to buy some time by talking. "**If you think I'm not gonna fight back, you are wrong**."

He slowly stood up and looked at her. "**Caroline wait. What I said earlier, I didn't mean it.**" Yeah, right. She gave him short laugh. "**And I should believe you because?**" He looked serious, his usual smirk gone. He was really trying to convice her. "**You don't know what's going on here, you have nowhere to go, no one to ask for help. I've been through this.**"

"**Through what?**" Caroline felt her anger rise at his words. He didn't know jack shit about how she felt.

"**You are a vampire, so am I.**" Came completely unexpected reply. Caroline was not sure whether she heard him correctly. It sounded so ridiculous but it made sense. She drank blood from people, she probably killed them, at least two of them. She wasn't even sure.

"**Let's just say I believe that vampire part, but I still don't trust you with my life.**"

He sighed and gave her his traditional scolding look. "**That's the thing, we are already dead. You can either die for good or start anew. I can help you with either, it's your decision to make. But you cannot go back to your human life. Sure you can pretend that nothing happened for a while, with my help, but it's not gonna last anyway.**"

She didn't know what to say, despair probably all over her face. He could see right through her, she was sure of that. That's why he was giving her time to think, still standing on the spot. At least for that she was glad. But nothing managed to last forever and in a blink of an eye he was standing right in front of her. Never really been patient type. Suddenly her fear returned since it was clear that she couldn't fight him being no match for who knows how old vampire.

But he gave her his hand instead. "**I know you don't like it, neither do I for that matter, I never wanted this to happen, but it did and we have to deal with that, you have to deal with that.**"

He had a few pretty valid points. She had killed few people during the evening, that's for sure. She had no control over herself, nowhere to go and really very little to lose. She raised her gaze to look into his eyes searching for any sign of deception. Finding none she slowly took his hand.

"**I have a car outside.**" He said.

* * *

Meanwhile at the carnival Matt who was searching the place for a while spotted Bonie and Elena in the middle of heated conversation. He briefly wondered what it was about, but then his mind returned to only thing he could think about lately. "**Hi guys, sorry to interrupt you, but did you see Caroline.**"

"**No we are more concerned about Damon, right now.**" Said Bonie giving stern look to Elena at the same time.

He couldn't believe his ears. What was so important about that asshole just right know. "**What? Well I'm more concerned about Caroline and you should be too.**" He almost yelled.

This draw their attention. "**What do you mean? I thought she was all better now.**" Said Elena and they both gave him concerned stare.

"**She says she is, but she's acting really weird.**"

"**And by weird you mean?**" Asked Bonie.

He was quickly thinking how to explain it without sounding weird himself.

* * *

They were and the road for few minutes and Caroline didn't know what to make of it. Getting any information from Damon proved to be more difficult than she thought after leaving the school. "**So let me get this straight. It was not a dream. You are saying that Elena killed me except that it was not Elena.**"

"**Yes.**" He looked annoyed, which meant he wasn't joking and that bitch wasn't joking either.

"**It was Katherine.**" She said and that definitely draw Damon's attention. He even looked confused so she decided to elaborate.

"**She told me her name was Katherine and that I should give message to you and your brother.**"

"**What message?**" He asked.

Caroline was hoping it's gonna make any sense. "**Game's on.**"

She expected Damon to comment on that and was greeted with silence instead. But decided to let it go seeing that Damon didn't feel like explaining. Besides she was more curious about her current state.

"**You know. I still don't understand how I became a vampire. You said I died. People are usually not walking around after they die, except for that lame movies Jeremy is so fond of.**"

"**In order to become a vampire you must die with vampire blood in your system and then drink human blood within a day.**" His reply came Almost immediately. Damon must have expected that kind of question, obviously just waiting for her to start on her own, probably trying not to overwhelm her.

But it still didn't make any sense. How did she ended up with vampire blood in her system, Elena look-alike didn't inject her or anything, or did she? Caroline was slowly getting pissed off. "**How come vampire blood was in my system?**"

Damon sighed and at that moment Caroline knew she was not going to like the answer. "**It was my blood. I gave it to you. Normally people heal faster when given small amount of vampire blood and I wanted you to heal, you were not supposed to die. You would be complete vampire blood free by now. But Katherine must have found out and decided to wreak a havoc.**"

"**That's just great. Who the fuck she is? And how come she looks like Elena?**"

"**Long story.**"

That was obviosly no go but it didn't matter much. Whoever Katherine was she going to find out anyway so Caroline decided to change the subject.

"**I suppose I won't age.**"

"**No, you won't.**"

"**And will heal faster.**"

"**Yes.**"

"**But I can still be killed.**"

"**You can be staked in the heart, burned in a fire or you can lose your head, literally. Oh, and one more thing, the sunshine can burn you to a crisp.**" Said Damon with smirk on his face. He was clearly enjoying this much to Caroline's annoyance.

"**But I saw you during the day on a sun and you were fine!**"

He gave her a look. "**Yeah, you need this,**" He pointed at the ring on his finger. " **it's a very special ring with very special piece of rock in it. It will protect you from the sun.**"

"**What makes it so special.**"

"**A spell.**"

"**A spell?**" She asked incredulously.

"**Is there an echo in here or what?**"

Caroline felt like punching Damon in the face. Charmed piece of rock on a finger protecting vampires from he sun. That sounded like the stupidest idea ever thought up in a long and sad history of stupid ideas. But than again, the mere existence of vampires was insane enough, so she decided to bear with him.

After a few minutes of silence he suddenly pulled over and she started looking where they were. "**This is Elena's house.**" She said with surprise. This was the last place she expected to be taken.

"**Yeah I know, I need something from there, just wait here. I'll be back in a few seconds.**" He said and before she managed to ask, he was in the house. Probably for the first time she realized advantages of being a vampire.

He returned in not even minute. "**That was quick.**" She said and noticed he was holding some kind of book. But then Caroline recognized it, it was not a book. "**Damon what are you going to do with Elena's diary.**"

"**Nothing, but you will read it.**"

"**What, why?**" She wanted to object not wanting to dig into her best friend's privacy.

"**Trust me, it won't be boring. And it will save us, well mostly me a lot of time.**" Said Damon with a smirk and started driving again ignoring Caroline's cofused look.

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_So what do you say? I had to speed up Caroline's learning process somehow._  
_I hope it will allow next chapter to be more action oriented. Provided I will ever write one._


	2. Cleaning Up

_Thanks for all the reviews. You made me write another chapter. Sorry it took me over 4 months, I will try to get better, I promise._

_In the end, this chapter is not action oriented. But I hope you will have fun anyway._

_Characters are not mine and I'm not making any profit from this._

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The moment she heard the noise behind her, she knew it was him. She got up and turn around faster than humanly possible just to see him standing at the door with something shiny in his hand. It was the ring, her ring. "**That's for me?**" She couldn't resist the urge to ask anyway, to make sure.

"**Yes.**" He said without a hint of emotion. His eyes than diverted to the couch. It took Caroline a second to realize it was Elena's diary that caught his attention. "**Finished it already?**"

Caroline briefly nodded not really sure what to say. Everything felt so distant and meaningless, her life as she knew it was gone. Reading that diary was like looking at her last year in fast forward through eyes of the stranger. And Elena was in fact stranger. She knew almost from the beginning and never said anything, never even tried. But Elena was not in front of her, Damon was. When she had first met him a year ago, she thought he was handsome and cute. But that was another life. Ignorance was truly a bliss. The man standing in front of her was a monster. Perhaps it was not his fault, but it didn't really matter. There was so many things she wanted to say to him, but when she finally spoke it sounded just too weak. "**You know, you are not exactly hero of the story.**"

"**How would I know I have never read it, just heard it's quite good.**" Said Damon like it was not a big deal. Like it never mattered. But it did to her and he knew it. If he was trying to make her angry it worked. She speeded to him just to be few inches away. "**The only thing that brings me satisfaction is that you are bound to be miserable for rest of your existence.**"

If her words had any impact he didn't show it. "**Don't exaggerate, it's not like you have to marry me for this.**" He said handing her the ring.

She snatched it from his hand slightly happy at change of subject. "**How do I know it works?**" The question clearly amused Damon. "**You can find out in a few hours.**"

The whole thing made her wonder where Damon got the spare ring so fast, it's not like such things were lying at every corner or did they? She made a mental note to question him later.

When her eyes met his again, he was already in hallway. "**You are hungry.**" Said Damon matter-of-factly and Caroline was just hoping that the invitation to drinking didn't have any living person attached.

Upon entering the kitchen she couldn't believe her eyes. "**You have blood bank in a fridge?**"

He placed several blood packs on the counter in front of her. "**It's not the same as the fresh thing you had earlier, but it will give you strength not to kill anybody tomorrow.**"

If he said anything else Caroline didn't remember, all she knew was that when she came to her senses once again, the packs were empty and her hands and face were covered with blood. He was watching her with both fascination and curiosity, but quickly changed his facial expression to give her more serious look. "**There are few things you need to know.**"

"**Like what?**" Caroline asked a little bit annoyed. The last thing she needed at the moment was to be lectured.

"**First of all, your little witchy friend is able to tell humans and vampires apart with simple touch. Under any circumstance don't let her touch you. Second. Drink a lot of coffee, it will make your body warmer, so your mother won't feel like she's hugging one of her customers. And finally, act as nothing happened, especially in front of your friends.**"

She kept staring at him not quite sure what to say. "**Oh, Anything else?**"

At that he gave her his best if-you-piss-me-off-you-are-dead look. "**Usually I find women capable of sarcasm attractive, but this is neither place nor time.**" But he probably quickly realized that he's not being very helpful so he softened a little bit. "**Caroline I need you to focus. This is really important.**"

Caroline was kind of angry at him for underestimating her all the time. "**I know, I get it okay? I'm public enemy now. The less people know about me the better for me and... you.**" He was obviously taken aback by her sudden moment of clarity. "**Good. Bathroom is upstairs. Try to clean yourself up. In the meantime I'll try to come up with some idea how to get you invited in your own house.**" And here it was again. "**Don't bother I already managed to do that. Despite what you think of me, I'm not utterly stupid!**" And with that she speeded towards bathroom leaving surprised Damon behind.

Before she realized that, she was standing right in front of a large mirror staring at her own reflection which was actually the last thing she wanted to see. Her vampire speed just kept surprising her. Take a breath Caroline, take a breath. She told herself while taking a look around in order to calm down. The bathroom seemed to be bigger than her own room. It was kind of funny, everything in the boarding house was so ridiculously large.

Her train of thoughts was cut short when she found herself staring in the mirror again. The half-dried blood on her face made her twitch. She bend over to take a closer look, to see the black veins that started to form around her eyes and in just a few seconds those eyes were all red and black. As on instinct her mouth was opened revealing two long incisors.

"**Holy smoke!**" She blurted out and promptly closed her eyes in hope that it would go away. It must have been at least a minute and the only thing she could hear was her own heavy breathing, but when she opened those eyes again she was her own self with no trace vampirism except that fricking blood around her mouth. Caroline, not wanting to spend another minute in the room, quickly turned the water on and began washing it all off.

Her hair was a mess, not that it mattered at moment, but old habits die hard. She had to smile at silliness of her thoughts. She had to go down to deal with Damon and more importantly the rest of the world.

"**Ready to leave?**" He asked, but before she could reply he went on. "**My little brother called me while you were upstairs and asked about you. Told him I hadn't see you all day, but I doubt he believed me. Like I know him he can be here any minute.**" His face all serious told her he was not joking. Caroline was ready to panic. What was she gonna do? She was not ready for this, but somehow managed to keep herself calm. "**So, where are we going?**" She asked biting into her bottom lip nervously.

"**Back to carnival.**" Came the least expected reply, definitely not the one she wanted to hear. "**You are kidding me right? I can't go back there!**" She wanted to tell him to go to hell, but already knew it won't change anything, he already made decision for her. "**But you will and you will convince your friends, there's nothing wrong with you.**" Yep, there it was.

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_Please review, I promise I will update much sooner this time._


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